Ken Burns Jazz - Louis Armstrong

by Louis Armstrong

Overview

He taught the world how to swing, many critics have said. But before Louis Armstrong taught us that, he had to teach us how to listen. And from his earliest recordings in Chicago as a sideman in King Oliver's band through his triumphs at the head of small groups and big bands of every description -- first in Chicago, then in New York, and, from there, around the world, as America's cultural ambassador -- Armstrong's irrepressible personality no less than his virtuosic trumpet playing and singing taught us something more fundamental. He really taught us how to smile. There probably isn't a corner of the world that hasn't been reached by a Louis Armstrong performance -- whether with one of his "good ol' good ones," with his Hot Five in Chicago of the 1920s, or with "Hello, Dolly!" from Broadway in the 1960s. Wherever, and so long as, there's music, there will be Louis Armstrong. And there will be joy. Satchmo Forever!

Product Details

Release Date:	11/07/2000
Label:	Sony
UPC:	0074646144022
catalogNumber:	61440
Rank:	2953

Tracks

1. Chimes Blues
2. Cake Walking Babies from Home
3. Heebie Jeebies
4. Potato Head Blues
5. West End Blues
6. Tight Like This
7. Mahogany Hall Stomp
8. Ain't Misbehavin'
9. Black and Blue
10. St. Louis Blues
11. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
12. Blue Again
13. Lazy River
14. Chinatown, My Chinatown
15. Stardust
16. Shadrack
17. I Double Dare You
18. When the Saints Go Marching In
19. Marie
20. Rockin' Chair
21. Blueberry Hill
22. Mack the Knife
23. A Fine Romance
24. Hello, Dolly!
25. What a Wonderful World

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Louis Armstrong   Primary Artist,Trumpet,Vocals
Lonnie Johnson   Guitar
Mills Brothers   Track Performer
Henry "Red" Allen   Trumpet
Paul Barbarin   Drums
Louie Bellson   Drums
Will Bradley   Trombone
Eddie Condon   Banjo
Johnny Dodds   Clarinet
Herb Ellis   Guitar
Ella Fitzgerald   Vocals
Urbie Green   Trombone
Bobby Hackett   Cornet
Earl Hines   Piano
Gordon Jenkins   Conductor
Hank Jones   Piano
Yank Lawson   Trumpet
Albert Nicholas   Clarinet,Alto Saxophone
King Oliver   Cornet
Kid Ory   Trombone
Oscar Peterson   Piano
Jerome Richardson   Clarinet,Flute,Tenor Saxophone
Art Taylor   Drums
Jack Teagarden   Trombone,Vocals
Luis Russell   Piano
Billy Butterfield   Trumpet
Dick Cary   Piano
Joe Darensbourg   Clarinet
Barrett Deems   Drums
Bob Haggart   Bass
Edmond Hall   Clarinet
Peanuts Hucko   Clarinet
Carl Kress   Guitar
Bernie Leighton   Piano
Zutty Singleton   Drums
Grady Tate   Drums
Joe Wilder   Trumpet
Don Redman   Alto Saxophone,Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
Johnny St. Cyr   Banjo,Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
John Mills   Vocals
Trummy Young   Trombone
Gene Anderson   Piano,Celeste
Lil Armstrong   Piano
Baby Dodds   Chimes,Drums
Louis Bacon   Trumpet
Danny Barcelona   Drums
Sidney Bechet   Clarinet,Soprano Saxophone
Barney Bigard   Clarinet
Lee Blair   Guitar
Johnny Blowers   Drums
Lester Boone   Clarinet,Alto Saxophone
Pete Briggs   Tuba
Ray Brown   Bass
Red Callender   Bass
Harry Carney   Clarinet,Baritone Saxophone
Big Sid Catlett   Drums
Buddy Christian   Banjo
Pete Clark   Alto Saxophone
Clark Terry   Trumpet
Rupert Cole   Clarinet,Alto Saxophone
Bert Curry   Alto Saxophone
Art Drelinger   Tenor Saxophone
Honore Dutrey   Trombone
Pops Foster   Bass
Tony Gattuso   Banjo
Tubby Hall   Drums
Lil Hardin   Piano
Shelton Hemphill   Trumpet
J.C. Higginbotham   Trombone
Teddy Hill   Tenor Saxophone
Homer Hobson   Trumpet
Charlie Holmes   Alto Saxophone
Charlie Irvis   Trombone
Preston Jackson   Trombone
George James   Clarinet,Alto Saxophone,Soprano Saxophone
J.J. Johnson   Trombone
Otis Johnson   Trumpet
King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band   Track Performer
Billy Kyle   Piano
Jack Lesberg   Bass
John Lindsay   Bass
Bingie Madison   Clarinet,Tenor Saxophone
Sam Marowitz   Clarinet,Flute,Alto Saxophone
"Big" Mike McKendrick   Banjo,Guitar
Harry Mills   Vocals
Herbert Mills   Vocals
Zilner Randolph   Trumpet
Art Ryerson   Guitar
Russell Savkas   Bass
Hymie Schertzer   Alto Saxophone
Arvell Shaw   Bass
Jimmy Strong   Clarinet,Tenor Saxophone
Eva Taylor   Vocals
Daniel Trimboli   Flute,Alto Saxophone,Tenor Saxophone
Crawford Wethington   Alto Saxophone
Clarence Williams   Piano
Milt Yaner   Alto Saxophone
Wilbur De Paris   Trombone
Thomas Parshley   Tenor Saxophone
Willard Suyker   Guitar
Allen Hanlon   Guitar
Carroll Dickerson   Violin
Warren Hard   Percussion
Will Johnson   Guitar
Carl Poole   Trumpet
Fred Robinson   Trombone
Charlie Alexander   Piano,Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
Bill Johnson   Banjo
Mancy Carr   Banjo
Tommy Goodman   Conductor
Albert Washington   Tenor Saxophone
Raymond Stanfeld   Baritone Saxophone
John Thomas   Trombone

Technical Credits

Marc Blitzstein   Composer
Kurt Weill   Composer
Hoagy Carmichael   Composer
Gordon Jenkins   Arranger
King Oliver   Composer
Jimmy McHugh   Composer
Don Redman   Arranger
Bertolt Brecht   Composer
Jerry Herman   Composer
Jerome Kern   Composer
Louis Armstrong   Composer
Sidney Arodin   Composer
Boyd Atkins   Composer
James Black   Composer
Ken Burns   Executive Producer
Langston Curl   Composer
Dorothy Fields   Composer
Lewis   Composer
Vincent Rose   Composer
Larry Stock   Composer
Bob Thiele   Composer
George David Weiss   Composer
Clarence Williams   Composer
Spencer Williams   Composer
Doug Ramsey   Liner Notes
Herbert Stothart   Composer
Terry Shand   Composer
Herman Leonard   Cover Photo
Howard Fritzon   Art Direction
Ron Goldstein   Executive Producer
Hollis King   Art Direction
Ben Young   Discographical Information
Tommy Goodman   Arranger
William Jerome   Composer
Robert MacGimsey   Composer
Henry Troy   Composer
Jim Eaton   Composer
Jean Schwartz   Composer
Carlos Kase   Discographical Information
Chris Smith   Composer
John Christiana   Packaging Manager
Lauren Atlas   Packaging Manager
Adam Owett   Art Direction
Clare Walker   Packaging Manager
A. Curl   Composer

Editorial Reviews

In conjunction with the release of Ken Burns' ten-part, 19-hour epic PBS documentary Jazz, Columbia issued 22 single-disc compilations devoted to jazz's most significant artists, as well as a five-disc historical summary. Since the individual compilations attempt to present balanced overviews of each artist's career, tracks from multiple labels have thankfully been licensed where appropriate. Louis Armstrong is arguably the most important figure in jazz history -- he was jazz's first real virtuoso and first true improviser; he invented scat singing; and his gravelly, instantly recognizable voice and larger-than-life personality made him a crucial force in popularizing the music. Over the course of 25 tracks, this installment of Ken Burns Jazz traces Armstrong's career from his seminal early sides up through his pop hits of the '50s and early '60s. The set opens with selections from his recordings with the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens, some of the most celebrated in jazz thanks to Armstrong's jubilant, impeccably constructed solos. His later pop material isn't as interesting to some jazz purists -- especially since it doesn't always emphasize his instrumental work -- but it went a long way toward cementing Armstrong's status as an icon among the general public and is full of his warmly ingratiating personality. Ken Burns Jazz features the best of the best from both distinct phases of Armstrong's career, and while there are more extensive (and cohesive) compilations of each, this makes for an extremely strong introduction to one of the greatest figures in American music.

All Music Guide - Steve Huey